Dealing with Scratches on Your DVDs

The use of DVDs has over the years whittled down quite a bit as more and more people turn towards hard drives for their storage needs. However, DVDs are not completely dead yet and most of us still manage to find some use for them in our daily lives. Off the mouth examples include music, movies and even TV show DVDs. But if there is one thing really upsetting about DVDs then it has to be the scratches/blemishes they seem to gather with regular usage and time. So how exactly do we deal with these scratches? Read on to know more.

How Scratches Affect DVDs

DVDs are read in a spiral manner, just like CDs, starting from the center of the disc till its outer edge. Data is encoded into DVDs in the form of ‘bumps’ below the disc surface. This data is successfully read by a laser. When a DVD is scratched, this laser’s path is deflected, which renders the DVD unreadable.

Some Remedies

There are some immediate steps you can follow after bestowing yourself a pack of DVDs. They have been elaborated below.

Cleaning – Most often, just wiping the DVD with a moist cloth can make a difference. There is a good chance of minor scratches and blemishes being removed this way. The use of lint free optical cloth is recommended for the same. The cloth and some rubbing alcohol should be used to wipe the DVD in straight lines starting from the center to the edge.

Repairing – Bigger scratches, however, will not be removed by simply cleaning alone. Instead, you can use some mild abrasives like polishes, toothpaste and cleaners to mend these scratches. It won’t remove a scratch entirely though. Also, refrain from using harsh abrasives for this purpose as it can harm your DVDs. There are also many dedicated cleaning solution kits available in the market and you can try them out as well. The kits contain both the solution as well as the cloth that is to be used during the purpose. Regardless of which solution or abrasive you try, make sure to handle the disc in a gentle manner when wiping. Avoid wiping the disc in a side-to-side or circular motion. Rub the solution gently, clean it up with a lint free cloth and that’s it, you are done.

Resurfacing – The most advanced and effective method in dealing with DVD scratches, resurfacing is recommended only as a worst case scenario alternative. There are a few devices that can perform resurfacing on your DVD and give it a complete surface level makeover. You are required to put your DVD into the device and spray on it the solution that comes with the device. Now close the device and run the device either manually or automatically. This method is most effective when it comes to dealing with severe scratch problems.

With all those tips that have been mentioned above, you really can take proper care of the DVDs as well as the recorded memories within.